ADIAS - 2004 website updates

[ Visit the ADIAS website archive of past updates for 2001 - 2002 - 2003 - 2004 - 2005 - 2006 ]

[ January - February - March - April - May - June - July - August - September - October - November - December 2004 ]

4 January 2004

Prof. Hans-Peter Uerpmann and Dr. Margarethe Uerpmann from the Jebel Buhais project in Sharjah visited the ADIAS offices in Abu Dhabi.

Visit the ADIAS Press page and read the press release entitled 7000 year-old houses discovered on Marawah island - part 1 - part 2 (Source: WAM).
[ you can also download picture 1 - picture 2 - picture 3 - picture 4 ]

5 January 2004

Visit the ADIAS Press page and read the stories entitled

Stone houses dating back 7,000 years discovered (Source: Gulf News)
7000-year-old houses found in UAE - page 1 and main story (Source: Gulf Today)
7,000-year-old housing units found in Marawah Island (Source: Khaleej Times)

The same story also featured prominently in the arab press in the United Arab Emirates..... read the articles in arabic featured in
Akhbar al-Arab - Al Bayan - Al Ittihad - Al Khaleej - Al Wahda

6 January 2004

ADIAS gets onto two Irish websites. Visit: Stone Age homes found in the Gulf (Source: Ireland On-line) and Stone Age homes found in the Gulf (Source: Irish Examiner).

Added story to the ADIAS Press page "Remains of Late Stone Age houses found on Emirates island" written by Rawya Rageh, Associated Press Writer for Associated Press Newswires, Dubai.

7 January 2004

News about the Neolithic settlement on Marawah spreads to Scotland. Read Boffins' 7000-year-old find (Source: Glasgow Evening Times Online) and Stone Age settlement found on Gulf island (Source: The Scotsman).

11 January 2004

Added a link to the news story "Ancient Dwellings Discovered in United Arab Emirates" (Windows Media Audio file 56k) on the ADIAS Press page. This featured on Audio News (Week of 5 - 11 January 2004) from The Archaeology Channel / Archaeologica.

18 January 2004

Added two stories to the ADIAS Press page NDC, ADIAS join forces to carry out survey of fossil sites (Source: Khaleej Times) and NDC, ADIAS join forces to carry out survey of fossil sites (Source: Uaeinteract.com).

11-13 February 2004

ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist, Dr Mark Beech, and ADIAS associate, Dr Heiko Kallweit, were invited to Doha, Kuwait. On 11th February Dr Mark Beech gave a lecture entitled "Recent work by the Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey" to the Qatar Natural History Group. His visit was kindly sponsored by Khalid Al Rabban, Rayyan Mineral Water Co., Qatar. On the 12 February Mark and Heiko met with Mohammed Said Al Bloshi, Head of the Antiquities Section of the Museums and Antiquities Department, as well as with Dr Munir Taha and other colleagues from the Department. Faisal Al-Nuaimi from the Department then kindly escorted the ADIAS team on a day trip around archaeological sites located in the northern half of Qatar, including Al Wusail and Al Khor on the east coast, Jassasiyah on the north coast, and Zekrit, Ras Abaruq and the Dukhan area on the west coast. He was an excellent and knowledgeable guide, and provided a useful introduction to the landscape and archaeology of Qatar. Clare and David Gillespie kindly hosted the visit and provided accommodation during the team's stay, also arranging a trip to the Ras Abaruq peninsula to examine some of the Neolithic/Ubaid sites first discovered by Beatrice de Cardi's team in the early 1970's. Mark and Heiko also held meetings whilst in Doha with Dr Benno Boer, programme specialist for UNESCO's Environmental and Marine Science activities in the region.

16 February 2004

ADIAS was very saddened to hear of the recent death of one of its research collaborators, Peter Whybrow.
Discoverer of Abu Dhabi's fossils dies (Source: Emirates News Agency - WAM)

17 February 2004

Added a link to the news story "Discoverer of Abu Dhabi's fossils dies" (Source: Khaleej Times) on the ADIAS Press page.

Added a special tribute page to Peter Whybrow on our website.

18 February 2004

Added the obituaries which appeared in the United Arab Emirates Arab Press onto the Peter Whybrow tribute page (click on each of the newspaper titles to download a jpeg scan of the article - in arabic): Al Bayan - Al Fajr - Al Ittihad - Al Khaleej - Al Wahda

Added a link on the Peter Whybrow tribute page to the obituary written by Clare Gillespie entitled Peter Whybrow, the discoverer of Arabian fossils which appeared in the Gulf Times in Qatar. Download it as a separate jpeg file by clicking here.

20 February 2004

Added the obituary "Briton who made a mark in fossil studies dies" which appeared in Gulf News onto the Peter Whybrow tribute page.

22 February 2004

Added a link to the news story "Abu Dhabi to hold exhibition of fossil finds" which appeared in Gulf News.

1 March 2004

Added a link to the news story "Ancient records speak volumes about Julfar's rich history" which appeared in Gulf News.

13 March 2004

Added the new ADIAS March 2004 newsletter to the website.

14 March 2004

The Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey (ADIAS), in collaboration with the Environmental Research and Wildlife Development Agency (ERWDA), organised a half day workshop on The Abu Dhabi Sabkha. A slide, overhead and video presentation was made by Professor Graham Evans and Dr. Tony Kirkham. The meeting was attended by staff from ADIAS, the Environmental Protection Division (EPD), Marine Environment Research Center (MERC), and Terrestrial Environment Research Center (TERC) from ERWDA.

15 March 2004

Added new article to ADIAS publications list entitled "Houses dating to 5000 BC discovered in UAE" which appeared in the News section of Current World Archaeology magazine, no.3 (issued January 2004).

Added new link to a press story entitled "Giant elephants in the UAE" which appeared in the Gulf Times - Features Supplement - Qatar. This was an article about the recent talk given by Dr Mark Beech to the Qatar Natural History Group in Doha, providing an update on current ADIAS projects.

26 March 2004

Added new page with details of the current archaeological excavations at site MR11 of a 7000 year old settlement on Marawah Island. This includes a series of photographs of the excavation and of some of the finds.

5 April 2004

Added a new publication to the ADIAS publications page:

Beech, M.J. 2004. Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey Monograph 1 - In the land of the Ichthyophagi: Modelling fish exploitation in the Arabian Gulf and Gulf of Oman from the 5th millennium BC to the Late Islamic period. British Archaeological Reports International Series S1217. ISBN 1841715778. xxi + 293 pages; 126 figures, maps, plans, drawings, photographs; 232 tables; 8 Appendices of data, remains and sites.
[ to purchase a copy of this book click here ].

7-8 April 2004

ADIAS staff participated in the Zayed Centre for Heritage and History 2nd Annual Symposium on Recent Archaeological Work in the Emirates which was held at the Mercure Hotel Grand Jebel Hafeet in Al Ain. Papers were presented on the recent work at Kharimat Khor Al Manahil by Dr Heiko Kallweit, Dr Mark Beech and Dr Walid Yasin Al-Tikriti, as well as concerning the recent ADIAS excavations on Marawah island by Dr Mark Beech, Richard Cuttler, Derek Moscrop, Dr Heiko Kallweit and John Martin. For details of the symposium programme click here.

8 April 2004

Added new links on the ADIAS press page to the following stories which appeared in the UAE press:
Archaeology conference in Al Ain opens (Source: Uaeinteract.com)
Re-discovering UAE's pre-historic splendour (Source: Gulf News)
Article in arabic about the 2nd Al Ain Archaeology Symposium (Source: Al Ittihad)

9 April 2004

Added new link to a press story entitled Archaeological digs 'boost knowledge' which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

19-22 April 2004

ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist, Dr Mark Beech, and ADIAS associate, Dr Heiko Kallweit, were invited to give lectures on the 20-21 April to the Department of Antiquity and Museums in Kuwait. This department is part of the Kuwait National Museum and the National Council for Culture, Arts and Letters. They presented lectures on the recent work carried out by ADIAS on Miocene fossils, neolithic desert settlements, and a newly discovered neolithic settlement on Marawah island.

20 April 2004

Added links to two press stories which appeared in newspapers in the Kuwaiti arab press about the lectures given there by ADIAS staff, Dr Mark Beech and Dr Heiko Kallweit: Al Qabas and Al Rahi Al Am.

22 April 2004

Added a new link to a press story entitled Got a Gomphotherium which appeared on page 1 and page 6 of the Arab Times in Kuwait.

23 April 2004

Added a new link to a press story entitled Seminar set on Oman heritage which appeared in Gulf Today.

23-28 April 2004

ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist, Dr Mark Beech, participated in the International Conference, "Magan, an Early Arabian Civilization and the first Maritime Trade between India and the Near East", held from 24-25 April in Muscat in the Sultanate of Oman. Following the conference there was a two-day excursion (26-27 April) to the main prehistoric sites explored by the Joint Hadd Project along the southeast corner of the Arabian Peninsula, between the towns of Quryat and Suwaih.

26 April 2004

Added a new link to a press story entitled Symposium delegates to visit archaeological sites which appeared in the Oman Daily Observer.

30 April 2004

Added a new link to a press story entitled Tracking the Ancient Elephant, which appeared in the April/May 2004 issue of the University of Bradford News and Views magazine.

1 May 2004

Added a new link to a press story entitled Elephant fossils to be displayed at special show which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

8 May 2004

Added a new link to Etihad Airways in the Travel section of our website links page.

22 May 2004

Added a new link to a press release entitled 6-8 million year old fossils to go on display which appeared on the Emirates News Agency - WAM website.

23 May 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled:

which appeared in Al Bayan.

which appeared in Al Fajr.

which appeared in Al Ittihad.

which appeared in Al Khaleej.

which appeared in Al Wahda.

Remains of ancient tuskers on display which appeared in Gulf News,

Six-million-year-old fossils to go on show - [ scanned version with picture ] which appeared in Gulf Today.

6 to 8 million years old fossils to go on display - [ scanned version with picture ] which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

6 June 2004

Added the new ADIAS May 2004 newsletter to the website.

10 June 2004

Added details of ADIAS publications which are in press or forthcoming to the publications page.

15 June 2004

Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist) gave a lecture to the Emirates Natural History Group about the recent archaeological work on Marawah island. This took place at 8 p.m. on Tuesday 15 June 2004 at the Cultural Foundation in Abu Dhabi.

23 June 2004

Added a page called Timeline. This groups together web links related to particular chronological periods represented in the palaeontology and archaeology of the United Arab Emirates.

25 June 2004

Added new multimedia components to the website, a series of guided tours of the historical mosques of Dalma island. Dr Geoffrey King provides the english commentary on tours of the Al-Muraykhi, Al-Dawsari and Al-Muhannadi mosques, whilst Fathy Mohammad Abdullah from the Public Works Department on Dalma island provides arabic commentary on a tour of the Al-Muhannadi mosque.

29 June 2004

Added a new link to a press release entitled Marawah excavations find Abu Dhabi's oldest inhabitant which appeared on the Emirates News Agency - WAM website.

Also added photographs to the ADIAS Press page relating to the above press release. To see the pictures click here.

30 June 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled:

To read the full story (in arabic) click here or download the jpeg version which appeared in Al Ittihad.

First inhabitant of Abu Dhabi discovered on Marawah island which appeared in Al Bayan.

Abu Dhabi's first inhabitant discovered on Marawah island which appeared in Al Khaleej.

Excavations unearth oldest inhabitant of Abu Dhabi [download jpeg version] which appeared in Gulf News.

Marawah excavations find Abu Dhabi's oldest inhabitant which appeared in Gulf Today.

Remains of oldest inhabitant of Abu Dhabi found [download jpeg version] which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

Marawah excavations find Abu Dhabi's oldest inhabitant and A look into the past which appeared on the Ministry of Information and Culture's official website, Uaeinteract.com.

19 July 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled:
De Cardi to be honoured (Source: Gulf News)
UAE archaeology will be focus of London seminar (Source: Uaeinteract.com)
UAE archaeology in the spotlight at London seminar (Source: Gulf News)
UAE to be represented at global Arabian meeting (Source: Khaleej Times)

22-24 July 2004

Two members of the ADIAS team presented papers at the Seminar for Arabian Studies conference held at the British Museum in London. These papers were presented on Friday 23 July in the session entitled "Prehistory in the Gulf & Southeast Arabia", chaired by Dr Rob Carter. Click on the paper titles below to read an abstract of the papers:

Dr Heiko Kallweit (Freiburg, Germany), Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS, Abu Dhabi, UAE) & Dr Walid Al-Tikriti (Department of Antiquities & Tourism, Al Ain), Kharimat Khor al-Manahil: new neolithic sites in the south-eastern desert of the United Arab Emirates.

Dr Mark Beech (ADIAS, Abu Dhabi, UAE), R. Cuttler and D. Moscrop (University of Birmingham, UK), Dr Heiko Kallweit (Freiburg, Germany) & John Martin (Carlisle, UK), New evidence for the Neolithic settlement of Marawah island (Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates).

24 July 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled Book traces history of date palm which appeared in Gulf News, and New book explores various aspects of bride of orchard which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

These articles discuss the recent publication by the Emirates Centre for Strategic Studies (ECSSR), The Date Palm - From Traditional Resource to Green Wealth. Emirates Center for Strategic Studies and Research, Abu Dhabi. Paperback edition ISBN 9948-00-550-3. This book features an article by ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist, Dr Mark Beech entitled: Archaeobotanical Evidence for Early Date Consumption in the Arabian Gulf. You can read an on-line version of this article by clicking here.

The review of the book in Khaleej Times says that .... "While the expertise and experience of the authors like Mark Beech, Mohamed Aaouine, Mohamed Djerbi, Samir Al Shakir and Michelle McCubbin to mention a few, lend the book the status of an academic masterpiece, the book with its simple and succinct narration also makes an interesting reading for those who would like to know a little more about their calorie-rich daily diet."

3 August 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled: UAE experts fight to save Islam's earliest mosques which appeared in the Khaleej Times and UAE experts fight to save Islam's earliest mosques which appeared on the Uaeinteract.com website. This mentions the ongoing research being carried out by Dr Geoffrey King, ADIAS Academic Director, on the mosques of Abu Dhabi.

To view films made by ADIAS with Dr Geoffrey King doing guided tours around the historical mosques on Dalma island click here.

4 September 2004

Added link to an article entitled "Abu Dhabi Discovery" which featured in Archaeology magazine, the publication of the Archaeological Institute of America - Newsbriefs - Volume 57 Number 5, September/October 2004.

6 September 2004

Added the following articles to the ADIAS publications page:

The latest issue of Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) vol. 14.1 features on its cover the spectacular early 5th millennium BC pottery vessel recently excavated by ADIAS from site MR11 on Marawah island.

Articles written by ADIAS staff in this volume include:

Beech, M. 2004. Book review of "Stone Age Sites and their Natural Environment - The Capital Area of Northern Oman Part III by Hans-Peter Uerpmann and Margarethe Uerpmann, with a contribution by Stefan Scholer, 2003. Beihefte zum Tubinger Atlas des Vorderen Orients - Reihe A (Naturwissenschaften) Nr. 31/3. Dr Ludwig Reichert, Wiesbaden, Germany" in Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 14.1: 25-26.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (238 Kb) ] .

Hellyer, P. 2004. Obituary - Peter Whybrow. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 14.1: 24.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (109 Kb) ] .

Hellyer, P. and L. Garey. 2004. World War Two plane crashes in the UAE. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 14.1: 9-11.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (298 Kb) ] .

King, G.R.D. (with architectural drawings by D. Connolly). 2004 . Bayt al-Muraykhî: a later Islamic pearl merchant's house at Dalmâ, Abu Dhabi Emirate. Tribulus (Journal of the Emirates Natural History Group) 14.1: 3-8.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.54 MB) ] .

Two papers by ADIAS staff have been published in the latest issue of the Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies, vol.34. These summarise the work carried out during the 2002-3 winter season at Abu Dhabi airport:

Beech, M., H. Kallweit and P. Hellyer. 2004. New archaeological investigations at Abu Dhabi Airport, United Arab Emirates. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 34: 1-15.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (2.94 MB) ] .

Kallweit, H. 2004. Lithics from the Emirates: the Abu Dhabi Airport sites. Proceedings of the Seminar for Arabian Studies 34: 139-145.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (540 Kb) ] .

Work carried out by Dr Mark Beech in northern Pakistan in 1988 and 1990 has also recently been published in a volume edited by Professor Robin Dennell from the Department of Archaeology and Prehistory at the University of Sheffield. The volume entitled "Early Hominin Landscapes in Northern Pakistan: Investigations in the Pabbi Hills" has been published in the well known British Archaeological Reports (International series) vol. S1265. The two following reports cover the excavation of fossil vertebrate sites from site 362 (dating to 1.67-1.87 million years ago) and site 642 (dating to ca.1.2 milllion years ago). Both sites are located in the Pabbi Hills region near Jhelum in Punjab province:

Anwar, M. and Beech, M. 2004. The excavation of site 362. Chapter 9, in: R.W. Dennell, Early Hominin Landscapes in Northern Pakistan: Investigations in the Pabbi Hills. British Archaeological Reports (International series) S1265. pp.314-327. ISBN 1841713716.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (564 Kb) ] .

Beech, M. and M. Anwar. 2004. The excavation of fossil locality 642. Chapter 9, in: R.W. Dennell, Early Hominin Landscapes in Northern Pakistan: Investigations in the Pabbi Hills. British Archaeological Reports (International series) S1265. pp.328-352. ISBN 1841713716.
[ to download this article in Acrobat .pdf format click here (1.19 MB) ] .

14 September 2004

ADIAS releases a press release entitled "ADIAS to help in Clean-Up Arabia" - click here for more details.

15 September 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled: ADIAS to help Clean-Up Arabia and Clean-Up Arabia campaign all set for kick-off, which appeared on the Emirates News Agency - WAM website.

16 September 2004

Added new links to press stories entitled: 800 to take part in nationwide beach clean-up drive which appeared in Gulf News, and Clean Up Arabia drive is all set for kick-off which appeared in the Khaleej Times.

19 September 2004

Added new link to press story entitled Abu Dhabi divers plumb depths to remove trash which appeared in Khaleej Times.

11 October 2004

ADIAS released a press release entitled "BP helps studies of UAE heritage".

28 October 2004

Added the new ADIAS November 2004 newsletter to the website.

2 November 2004

His Highness Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan, President of the United Arab Emirates since it was founded in 1971, and Ruler of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi since 1966, died on Tuesday November 2nd. Read a tribute from ADIAS.

6 November 2004

Added new link to the press story, Zayed's interest in heritage praised (Source: WAM, Emirates Press Agency)

7 November 2004

Added new links to the press stories, Zayed’s interest in heritage praised (Source: Khaleej Times) and Zayed's interest in heritage praised (Source: UAEinteract.com). An article also appeared in the Tabloid feature of Gulf News about Living by the Sea in Mirfa. This mentions ADIAS and the work on Late Miocene fossils at Jebel Mimiyah.

9 November 2004

Added new link to the press story, Taking the Lead in Preserving Heritage (Source: Gulf News)

18 November 2004

Added new link to the press story, Discovery of 7500 year old skeleton on Marawah island, which appeared in Asharq Al-Awsat, a pan-Arab newspaper based in London.

19 December 2004

Dr Mark Beech, ADIAS Senior Resident Archaeologist, gave a lecture to the Scuba Diving Community in Abu Dhabi. The lecture, co-organised by Kathleen Russell and Hazim Chalabi, was held in the ADMA-OPCO 1st floor auditorium from 8 - 9.30 p.m. Dr Beech presented a lecture entitled "Thoughts on Underwater Archaeology". To view the handout information sheets on Underwater Archaeology - click here.

20 December 2004

ADIAS held a press conference together with the Forensic Science Laboratory at Abu Dhabi Police Headquarters in Abu Dhabi from 10-11.30 a.m. The following press release was issued: The following press release was issued:

Forensic Science Laboratory of Abu Dhabi Police identifies the gender (Source: WAM, Emirates Press Agency)

Seated from left to right at the end of the table: Dr Saeid M.E.Shawgi (Head of Forensic Pathology Unit, General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police), Dr Mark Beech (Senior Resident Archaeologist, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS), Lt. Col. Ahmad Hassan Al-Awadhi (Director of the Forensic Science Laboratory, General Directorate of Abu Dhabi Police), Peter Hellyer (Executive Director, Abu Dhabi Islands Archaeological Survey, ADIAS)

21 December 2004

Added links to local UAE arab press coverage about the announcement of the discovery of the UAE's oldest skeleton.

UAE's oldest skeleton found - in arabic (Source: Al Bayan)

Scientist's recover DNA from skeleton - in arabic (Source: Al Ittihad)